Greeneville, Tenn.----The Tusculum University Pioneers used a 22-5 run spanning the third and fourth quarters Saturday afternoon, prevailing 63-52 over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action. The Pioneers start the season 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Tusculum shot 38 percent from the field; Wingate shot 32 percent
- The Pioneers hit eight-of-16 shots from three-point range (50 percent)
- The 'Dogs hit just two-of-16 shots from beyond the arc (13 percent)
- Tusculum held a 42-41 rebounding advantage; WU had a 13-9 edge in second chance points
- The Pioneers scored 17 points off 14 Bulldog turnovers
- Tusculum had 17 assists on 23 field goals; The 'Dogs had seven assists on 19 field goals
- The Wingate bench outscored Tusculum's bench 15-6
- The Bulldogs held a 32-26 advantage in points in the paint

KEY BULLDOGS

- Haleigh Hatfield led the 'Dogs with 13 points and 15 rebounds, adding two assists and a steal in her WU debut
- Hannah Clark had 12 points, three assists, two boards and a steal
- Daphney Saylor contributed eight points and six rebounds off the bench
- Jaia Wilson added seven points, two assists and a steal
- Peyton Davis collected six points in her Wingate debut

NOTES

- Wingate is now 33-15 all-time against the Pioneers
- The 'Dogs are 14-8 all-time at Tusculum
- The two teams split the regular season series last year; Tusculum won the SAC Tourney meeting
- Double-double in WU debut for Hatfield who had nine double-doubles in her last season at UC San Diego
- Clark has scored in double figures in 22 of her 31 Wingate games
- Five players made WU debut Saturday (Hatfield, Davis, Aliyah Whiteside, Ashley Breindl and Mikayla Dyson)
- Makenzie Crump played for the first time since the 2018-19 season after missing last season due to injury

FIRST QUARTER

- Clark scored the first two points of the game, but Tusculum answered with a 10-1 run to take a 10-3 lead
- Wilson's layup got the 'Dogs back within five at the 3:19 mark, but an Aliyah Miller jumper made it 14-7
- A Maeola Willis bucket and two Hatfield free throws got WU within three at the end of the frame

SECOND QUARTER

- A Jalia Arnwine bucket put the Pioneers on top 21-15 midway through the second quarter
- Buckets from Saylor and Clark in the next minute got the Bulldogs within two
- Miller's layup with 1:25 left put Tusculum up 25-19; Davis answered to get WU back within four
- Maddie Sutton's layup with nine seconds left gave the Pioneers a 27-21 halftime lead

THIRD QUARTER

- Buckets from Hatfield and Willis got Wingate within a point two minutes into the second half
- Arnwine buried a three, but Hatfield's free throw got the 'Dogs back within three
- Wilson's bucket midway through the frame cut Tusculum's lead to 32-29
- The Pioneers started the game-changing flurry with a 12-0 run
- Miller capped the spurt with a three and a layup to make it 44-29 with a minute left
- Clark's two free throws in the final seconds got Wingate within 13 heading to the final frame

FOURTH QUARTER

- Brianna Dixon's three gave the Pioneers a 20-point lead four minutes into the fourth
- A Wilson three and Davis layup cut the lead to 16 at 57-41
- Clark's three-point play highlighted Wingate's 5-0 run to get the 'Dogs within 13 with 2:20 left
- Saylor's bucket with 15 seconds left made the final margin 63-52

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back on the road next Saturday, traveling to Catawba for a 2 p.m. start
- The 'Dogs were scheduled to host Carson-Newman Tuesday, but that game was postponed
- The WU home opener is now slated for Wednesday Dec. 2, hosting UVA-Wise at 5:30 p.m.